Reading vs Aston Villa (could this be his last stand?)

Well Reading have the same record so far this season that we have and are also looking for their first win in the league! That's good news for them as we are always the team which gives struggling teams a win?

It is such a shame as Bruce could put together 2 teams from our squad that would be the envy of most other Championship sides. Unfortunately Bruce has been picking a third team which everyone in the Championship knows will roll over and die at the first signs of pressure?

deadbuzzardalive wrote:Would anyone take a defeat over a win, if it guaranteed Bruce getting the sack?

Personally I wouldn't, I want Bruce to be successful here and get a resounding win this evening. I think he's failed quite miserably thus far, and I'm certain he will be under enormous pressure from here onwards, regardless of a win or loss this evening. I think somebody else here mentioned an international break coming very soon, and if we lose another game between now and that break then I'd suggest we all keep tuned in for an immediate sacking after the last game before the break. I'm certain in my mind he'll be gone if loses one of the next two.

I will never want to see the Villa loss regardless of the circumstances

Are we saying this is a must win tonight ? If not Mr Bruce is gone. ?

Every interview, we hear that we are not getting the easy stuff  right, surely that would come down to tactics and the training ground issues. I would rather Mr Bruce stops the huffing and puffing after a very poor showing and get into the training ground staff and the player, and perhaps listen to some of the pundits who have said the tactics are wrong and work on it.
Also lets play 2 halves of football, we either have a good first half and a poor second, my McGraw its simple keep the pressure up, pass the ball to one of OUR player and put the bloody ball in the net. Ok I have taken my tablets now and am starting to calm down but by McGrath it is bloody frustrating being a villa fan. Starting to go to my quiet place  now.

There's a theme with Villa where the second I get my hopes up, they are smashed down in a billion pieces. Never fails. No idea why I think it will be any different whoever the manager or owner is.

jeffvilla wrote:Are we saying this is a must win tonight ? If not Mr Bruce is gone. ?

Every interview, we hear that we are not getting the easy stuff  right, surely that would come down to tactics and the training ground issues. I would rather Mr Bruce stops the huffing and puffing after a very poor showing and get into the training ground staff and the player, and perhaps listen to some of the pundits who have said the tactics are wrong and work on it.
Also lets play 2 halves of football, we either have a good first half and a poor second, my McGraw its simple keep the pressure up, pass the ball to one of OUR player and put the bloody ball in the net. Ok I have taken my tablets now and am starting to calm down but by McGrath  it is bloody frustrating being a villa fan. Starting to go to my quiet place  now.

We tend to have a good first half, I just don't think Bruce knows what to do at half time. We tend to play opposition managers who know what's going on - they can either see it themselves or listen to advisors or people watching the game - and coach their teams at half time. Some don't even wait that long to make changes. We look good in the first half and then come out for the second half after Bruce has told everyone to carry on and we get picked apart as we try to continue doing the same old while the opposition play us off the pitch. That or the opposition are at us from the very start. I have no idea if Bruce tries out something different to the obvious to confuse the opposition and it takes them until half time to work out what's going on but something odd is going on!

I think I'd play:



As Bruce let them play last night it's probably not likely, but I'd have Suliman, Doyle-Hayes, RHM, Davis and O'Hare on the bench. Bring on for whoever plays crap.

That's perfect, Joppe, except what will happen is we'll play a 4-5-1 with Hutton at RB, Gabby on left wing (assuming Green is injured), Elmo on right wing, Onomah instead of Hourihane and Hogan up front on his own.

Ah Onomah. I'd forgotten him. I'd play him over Lansbury.

I like him but really want to see Hourihane play too. I just get the feeling he's going to stay on the bench no matter what.

I also think a 20-year-old should be able to play a 90-minute match one night and be ready to warm the bench the next, so O'Hare and Audrey please. Just not Samba as token defender/long ball head to bounce off jack of all trades and no striker in reserve please.

yes I'd take 1 loss tonight if it meant Bruce goes and we replace the next 20 potential losses/draws (I don't mean consecutively) with something a bit more successful. I know that would be far from guaranteed, but Bruce's football, even when winning is dire and boring to watch. It takes more and more effort for me to drive a 400 mile round trip to watch the crap he serves up.

Didn't want him/don't want him. If tonight rips the plaster off quickly, so much the better as far as I'm concerned, cos the slow peel is proving painful.

De Kuip wrote:yes I'd take 1 loss tonight if it meant Bruce goes and we replace the next 20 potential losses/draws (I don't mean consecutively) with something a bit more successful. I know that would be far from guaranteed, but Bruce's football, even when winning is dire and boring to watch. It takes more and more effort for me to drive a 400 mile round trip to watch the crap he serves up.

Didn't want him/don't want him. If tonight rips the plaster off quickly, so much the better as far as I'm concerned, cos the slow peel is proving painful.

That is dedication , I struggle with about 20 mile round trip!

"I will maybe look at different personnel or a different formation again. Maybe we're not ready to play strikers again. I will look at all those things."

I wonder what the odds are with Bucuna scoring one tonight, to stretch a point him scoring a hat trick.

The only hope I hold on to is that bacuna plays for them tonight, we only have to play against 10 then, I wouldn't even mark him.

deadbuzzardalive wrote:Would anyone take a defeat over a win, if it guaranteed Bruce getting the sack?

TBH? ABSOLUTELY!!!. We'd just be covering over the cracks by keeping this guy any longer. His style of football can give you the odd successful run here and there, but where long term progression is concerned it's simply poison and we're better off taking an early hit to achieve long-term success imo.

I'm personally hoping that a dire 0-0 draw would be enough to get rid in all honesty.

deadbuzzardalive wrote:Also, if we do win tonight, it will be the first time we've won a league game without Jedinak, since he first signed for the club during August last year.

A lot of people talk about the Jedinak stat. But do folks know that we've only won ONE game (against the noses) without Kodjia since he arrived? So the problem is twofold.

Not even Kodjia can save Bruces arse now.

NARLA24 wrote:Not predicting because i jinx things.

Totally with you on that Narla

jeffvilla wrote:I wonder what the odds are with Bucuna scoring one tonight, to stretch a point him scoring a hat trick.

HaHa! You got me thinking, Paddy power offering 17/1 on Bacuna first goal scorer or 8/1 anytime goal scorer.

Just noticed we kick off at 8pm tonight and thought it may be televised but can't find a link but it is live commentary from BBC radio Berkshire (not online) and BBC radio WM will have snippets because they will focus on the scum game, just as well because no doubt I will be switching off at 8.30pm when were 1-0 down, can't see anything other than a draw at best but I hope I'm wrong.

I'm hoping we will get something we have too so I reckon a 1-1 draw for me.

As with the Cardiff game there should be a periscope link available around kick-off time.

deadbuzzardalive wrote:As with the Cardiff game there should be a periscope link available around kick-off time.

Thanks DBA will check it out, but the periscope links are usually pretty awful, still beggars cant be chooser's.

achilles wrote:

De Kuip wrote:yes I'd take 1 loss tonight if it meant Bruce goes and we replace the next 20 potential losses/draws (I don't mean consecutively) with something a bit more successful. I know that would be far from guaranteed, but Bruce's football, even when winning is dire and boring to watch. It takes more and more effort for me to drive a 400 mile round trip to watch the crap he serves up.

Didn't want him/don't want him. If tonight rips the plaster off quickly, so much the better as far as I'm concerned, cos the slow peel is proving painful.

That is dedication , I struggle with about 20 mile round trip!  

I only do about 8 to 10 home games and 2 or 3 aways to be honest nowadays though. Definitely not doing Norwich away this season though that was 12 hours of driving to watch shite and it killed my car! Had to scrap it afterwards as the gearbox went
Could have gone to reading tonight but that's 6 hours driving so I couldn't be arsed. Brizzle away is my first game of the season this year.

Johnstone, De Laet, Chester, Terry, Taylor, Whelan, Hourihane, Onomah, Bjarnasson, Green, Hogan.

Steer, Samba, Lansbury, Agbonlahor, Bree, Hutton, Adomah

looks a good team, although I would have started with Adomah instead of Bjarnasson, not sure what the point is of both Huttona and Bree on the bench either.